Not a good start to college for daughter #1

After our Thursday "windfall" with Maranda, Friday sucked. Madison met her fellow resident assistant co-workers who handed over her keys and her RA supplies which included crayons, a stapler, tacks, and glue. Everyone was cordial and friendly and they welcomed us and waved us off toward her residence hall across the lawn.

The name of her building is Grimes. It was appropriate. The first door we entered was an entry with stairs going up and down. Down had a construction worker with a mess of paraphernalia strewn around his ankles as he worked on something out of our sight. We chose up and attempted to open the door. The lock was completely gone and yet the door would not open. We asked the worker for help and he shook his head and told us we needed to go around. We had no idea what that meant and so we exited.

A hop, skip, and a jump down the walkway took us to another door. Same set up. Up or down, but the doors were open. The stairs were filthy, the building smelled, and it was completely devoid of humans. We went up, found Madison's room, and unlocked it. Surprise! It was huge and had two nice windows.

We were both giddy at the size and we twirled in happiness. Madison wandered around the room contemplating how to set it up and at some point she stopped in front of the thermostat. The building was hot and stuffy and the room even more so. She messed with the controls. Nothing. I messed with the controls. Nothing. It was 82 degrees in the room.

She called over to the co-workers sitting in the air conditioned building across the way. Asked how to work the thermostat. She was told that for the next two weeks due to construction in the building there would be no air conditioning. Let me say that again. THERE WOULD BE NO AIR CONDITIONING FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.

Are you kidding me? Who? Who was the person in charge of these RA's arriving two weeks early into a building still under construction and had no air conditioning? Obviously, this person, and I blame the director of housing, did not take into consideration several factors.

1. Building under construction.
2. No air conditioning in August where the weather is in the 90's.
3. The RA's affected are TWO people. TWO people. No email? No other arrangements?
4. RA's would be moving into said building with a shit load of stuff.
5. One of the RA's is coming from another state with no vehicle.

She was offered fans and another room to live in for the next two weeks. She asked for fans so that we could move in her stuff. I'm only here for three days to help her move in. She has no car. Her belongings are in a storage unit miles from campus. We asked about parking since UNC has permitted spaces everywhere, and since this isn't the official moving in weekend I was concerned about parking. They assured us all was well since we were moving in and off we went to park at her building.


There was a ramp leading into a door on the side of the building and so Madison trooped down the ramp with the dolly full of boxes, me bringing up the rear far behind. When she opened that door there was a huge piece of plastic from the ceiling to the floor inside with large warning signs attached crying out about asbestos and cancer. She immediately shut the door. We had to go down nine stairs instead of using the ramp and then hike around the building and then up two flights of eleven stairs each. The building has no elevator. It was a long day.

Madison called again to her co-workers to ask about the safety of the asbestos building. No worries she was told, but that didn't reassure me at all. It took us the rest of the day to unload ONE load from the unit. We hauled boxes and cubes and loaded containers up and down stairs. We weren't strong enough at times to haul things and so we opened the boxes in the foyer and made trips with the stuff inside. We were drenched by the end, faces bright red from heat, and oh, so grouchy. We shut the dorm door and left after unloading the car.

As I drove away I noticed something on my windshield. A citation. For parking. Thankfully, it was just a warning with a zero fine, but still. Chalk up number 6 on my factor list because apparently parking to unload belongings was not taken into consideration either. Neither was an asbestos project in the building. I was not a happy parent at this point in regards to this university.

Tom and I have agreed she will not live there until the building is up and with air conditioning. Tom wants to know if they have a permit for occupancy. They have offered to move her for the two weeks of RA training and tomorrow we are taking them up on that. We will finish moving in her stuff to this dorm, pack another bag for her to live elsewhere for two weeks, and then I'll try not to worry every day of the entire school year.

I would like to storm all sorts of offices, but Madison has made me promise not to and since today is Saturday the offices will be closed anyhow. I have to let her handle things, but it isn't easy when your child's health and well being are at risk and you're forking over a boat load of cash.

Here's hoping that today brings unicorns and rainbows. We sure could use it.